


Traditions of the Heart

by QueenEgg



Series: Kingdom Eternal [5]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Other, but its finally happening ya'll, its been five HUNDRED years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 08:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13566906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenEgg/pseuds/QueenEgg
Summary: Ghost has a surprise for Quirrel.





	Traditions of the Heart

Although it might sound naive, Quirrel wasn’t one to question the reasons behind Ghost’s actions. He hardly doubted them in anything, and after the incident at the lake, he found himself relying on them more than ever. In the days of recovery following the unexpected attack from the former king’s servants, Quirrel found himself coping rather badly with the changes.

In saving him, Ghost had altered him somehow. Neither he nor Hornet knew how, exactly, or what they’d done to do it, but Quirrel knew that a sacrifice on their part was involved. Now, if he focused, he could hear their thoughts, and on rare occasions, he could even see their memories when they slept. It was an odd sensation to not only witness- but also hear and feel- someone else’s experience of events from the past.

Perhaps in different circumstances, Quirrel would rejoice at being given such an ability, but his lover wasn’t one who possessed a simple mind. Their past was fraught with traumatic memories, and many times he’d fallen asleep in their arms only to wake with cold terror in his heart, Ghost’s pale crest standing out in the darkness as their empty gaze stared out into space. Comforting them was a challenge with his own emotions running rampant, but even if there was nothing he could do except hold them while they rode out their nightmares, he’d still do his best to make sure they knew they weren’t alone.

He supposed that it wasn’t all bad. Being able to tell how Ghost was feeling, or rather, being able to communicate with them at all was a blessing he couldn’t bring himself to regret. As they grew closer, Quirrel trusted that they wouldn’t unknowingly lead them both into certain doom. Though, he never worried about something like that happening. One tended to forget all about feeling unsafe felt after realizing that one of the strongest bugs in the kingdom was watching over them.

Since then, it had been some time since Quirrel felt confused or uneasy in Ghost’s presence, but here, scaling the cliffs just outside of Dirtmouth, he didn’t know what to think.

He’d had to traverse this path once before, on his way into Hallownest. 

Hornet’s work to restore the kingdom resulted in all the infrastructure repair starting at its center, the menders and masons working to first remodel the capital’s infrastructure before making their way outward. The only things that prioritized higher were the many pitfalls among the kingdom’s roads- their bottoms lined with metal shards that threatened all who wandered too near to the edge. As a result, the bridge leading up to the King’s Pass would likely be the last thing to be repaired. Quirrel didn’t have to worry about scaling the wall to reach the outskirts of Hallownest, though. 

The moment the couple drew near to the edge of Dirtmouth, Quirrel had to hold in a yelp of surprise as Ghost rushed forward and effortlessly lifted him into their arms before taking one, two quick strides and pushing off the ground to launch them both into the air. 

Once the initial surprise wore off, he’d realized that Ghost was effortlessly holding them aloft. If he craned his head back, he could see a massive set of faintly glowing wings beating steadily upon their back. When they set him down next to the archway leading out of the kingdom, Quirrel stumbled slightly, still in awe. 

“Your wings, they’ve- well, I suppose it makes sense that they would grow with the rest of you,” he said, noticing Ghost’s own amusement at his reaction as they landed and stepped past him, their playful gaze prompting him to follow. 

Unfortunately, the pathway up to the Howling Cliffs was too narrow for Ghost to use their wings now. The tunnels themselves were barely tall enough to fit their large frame, their horns nearly scraping the stalactites hanging from the cavern ceiling. As he walked behind them, he tried to decipher what was going on. Ghost had been acting strangely since they’d-  _ gently  _ -pulled him out of bed and hurried him out of the City of Tears. Quirrel was only just managing to reach a bearable state of awakeness when they’d climbed up to Dirtmouth, and now, he was clinging to the stones lining the walls as he hauled himself upwards after them.

The cliffs were as desolate as always, and Quirrel had to hold up an arm above his face to keep the dust from blowing into his eyes. Ahead, Ghost was leaping around with a dancer’s gait, their normally purposeful strides replaced with playful loops and graceful twirls as they displayed their happiness in the only way they could. When they caught him staring, he saw them beckon him forward with a quick hand motion before dropping down out of sight, forcing him to hurry to try and catch up.

Quirrel was thankful that the lumafly lanterns illuminating the pathway were bright enough to cut through the dusty gloom, but after he’d descended past them, he couldn’t help the sharp jolt of anxiousness that came when he saw Ghost’s cloak vanish down a pathway that was quite liberally decorated with bodies and nails. Thankfully, none of them seemed recent, but  _ still- _

Stepping over a corpse, Quirrel hurried down the hallway and found himself standing in front of a rather intimidating looking doorway. With nowhere else to go, he knew that Ghost was likely inside.

Taking a fortifying breath, he crossed the threshold and carefully proceeded forward, not trusting his voice to not give away the worry that began to make its way into his throat. The first room was sparse, decorated with a plain bench and the worn, cracked skull of what was once a very large beast. Quirrel reached for his nail on reflex but made a soft noise both confusion and reluctant acceptance when he realized that- in waking him -Ghost had hurried him out of their shared space in the city too fast for him to bring his weapon with him. Out of the two of them, Ghost was the only one who possessed a means of defense.

In the end, it was the sound of boisterous laughter that caused Quirrel to shed his fear and press on, leaving the bench behind as he entered a narrow corridor. To his surprise, on the other side of the room was Ghost, and another, familiar looking bug who had them wrapped in a playful headlock. 

“Ahah! So the bug who captured my child’s heart finally shows himself at last!” Quirrel barely had time to comprehend what was happening before the imposing warrior-like figure reached his side and clapped him on the back hard enough to almost send him sprawling. “They promised to bring you around one of these days, and now you’re finally here, and to grant me the honor of officializing such a joyous occasion! Why I’ve never been more proud a father.” At that, Quirrel’s thoughts ground to a halt.

Looking up at the other bug, Quirrel mumbled out a, “Father? But I thought that the former king-” Another clap on the back had him wheezing sharply, and it was only when Ghost swept him back into their arms that he was saved from the friendly onslaught.

“Bah! That worm? He was a miserable excuse for a sire! There is nothing to learn from a creature as piteous and loathsome as one who is willing to sacrifice his own offspring for a foolish cause. No, Ghost is both my pupil and my child, despite how large they’ve grown!” It was then that Quirrel noticed the many trophies littering the room- skulls similar to the one he’d seen in the foyer were displayed proudly, and the remains of other creatures decorated the walls. They weren’t in the den of an ordinary bug, they were currently in the hideout of a- “Besides, who needs a king when you have a Nailmaster?” Ghost’s gentle squeezing of his midsection caused Quirrel to let out a noise similar to a fungling deflating. 

Once he was set down once more, Quirrel shook off his dizziness and bowed. “It is an honor to meet you, Nailmaster-?” His question petered off slowly when he realized he didn’t know the other’s name. When a hand came down upon his shoulder, he glanced up in reflex as his lover’s mentor looked down at him.

“You may call me Mato, but what am I doing going on about myself, when today is about you two?” With that, the laughter was back as Mato crossed the room to retrieve a polished shellwood box before passing it to Ghost. “Sheo and Smith came by some time ago to drop this off for you since they knew you’d be coming. I’m sure the Great Nailsage was surprised to see them!” 

Still lost to the reason behind the impromptu meeting, Quirrel’s confusion only grew, even as Ghost began to exude waves of pure happiness without even trying. He watched them spin in a tight circle, the box held tight to their chest, before they beckoned him closer, their gaze flickering from his face to Mato’s rapidly.  

It was with a chuckle that the Nailmaster sat back, and gave them both a knowing look. “Well? Go on, you have my blessing. You’ve kept him in the dark for too long already, my child,” he said, his words apparently allowing Ghost to finally show Quirrel the reason behind such a visit in the first place.

Kneeling before him, Ghost opened the box with a reverence rarely shown to any object, the sturdy casing revealing something that Quirrel himself was shocked to see.

“Is this for me?” he asked softly, before reaching out and accepting the box as it was pressed into his hands. Inside the container was what appeared to be a bloom from one of the rarest flowers in the kingdom. Hesitantly, Quirrel traced a finger along one of the fragile looking petals, only to surprise himself once more when he realized that the flower wasn’t real, but was in fact crafted out of a cold, polished ore that reflected the light from above the moment he leaned back.

Looking over to Ghost, Quirrel couldn’t keep the bewilderment out of his voice. “I’m sorry, I- I don’t understand. Where did you get this? It would be impossible to craft something so fine without seeing the real thing, but the gardens where these blooms were once cultivated was destroyed when the infection came-” His nervous rambling ceased the moment Ghost’s hands covered his, their projection of  _ safelovehush _ quieting his thoughts as his memories of one of Hallownest’s oldest traditions slowly filtered back into his mind.

Quirrel glanced at the flower replica and back to Ghost’s face several times, their expectant gaze causing a sudden rush of warmth to overtake him completely as the final pieces set in. They’d brought him to see the one they considered to be their parent, and then they’d presented him with a gift. But it wasn’t just any gift, no, they’d given him a practically perfect replica of the flower that bugs in Hallownest once used as-

“You-  _ you want to marry me? _ ” The question hung in the air, only for the tension in Quirrel’s frame to fall away as Ghost began to nod their head so enthusiastically that he was a little worried that they’d make themselves dizzy. Though, after looking down at the metal flower again, Quirrel made a soft noise of distress. “I didn’t- I don’t even have a gift for you in return-! It’s hardly a proper proposal if-” Mato’s laughter cut over his nervous rambling.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You’ve already given them a gift that outshines even the gleaming blossom that they had made for you,” he said. “For what object could be worth more than honest devotion? After all, you’ve already committed yourselves to each other.” At that, Quirrel stilled. He knew what he and Ghost shared. Now more than ever- their thoughts and feelings were as much a part of him as they were of them. But their claim on his heart existed long before they’d been tied together in such a way. 

What was he doing hesitating, when all he’d ever wanted was right in front of him?

Moving to set the box aside, Quirrel took in Ghost’s uncertainty before reaching out and pulling their face to his. It was worth the sudden jolt of surprise that they passed on to him, but once they realized the intent behind it, they were eager to learn forward and wrap their arms around him in turn. Quirrel only had a split second of warning as Ghost stood and twirled them both around the room, their projections of  _ happylovemine! yesyesyes! _ cascading over him repeatedly while they danced.

**Author's Note:**

> /wheezes/ thanks for reading im gonna go recycle my own vital organs now


End file.
